Nordic Eagles power to fourth place at Coaches Series race

Gilford's Maggie Fillion moves through the course at the Sandwich Fairgrounds during the first of two New Hampshire Coaches Series races on Saturday morning. Joshua Spaulding. (click for larger version)

January 29, 2014

CENTER SANDWICH – Thanks to some outstanding performances from the top of the lineup, the Gilford High School nordic ski team saw solid finishes at the first of two New Hampshire Coaches Series events at the Sandwich Fairgrounds on Saturday.

The boys' team put three skiers in the top 20 of the crowded field to finish an impressive fourth overall, as the squad compiled 97 points. Kennett, Hanover and White Mountains were the top three squads on the day. Gilford's Jack Schrupp, who skis for Saint Paul's School in Concord, was the winner on the boys' side with a time of 10 minutes, 31 seconds.

The Golden Eagles were led by Matt Young, who nabbed a fourth place finish in 11:09. Mark Young was 10th overall in 11:50, while Sander Valpey took 20th position in 12:30. Seth Valpey rounded out the scorers for Gilford, as he placed 69th in 13:40. Ryan LaFrance rounded out the five racers for the Eagles, as he was 82nd overall in 13:58.

On the girls' side, the race was won by another Gilford resident as Tessa Schrupp of Saint Paul's matched Jack with an individual victory. The Eagles finished 16th as a team with 272 points thanks to Sophie Czerwinski, who led the way with a strong 21st place performance (14:35). Maggie Fillion made her way into the top 50 with a 50th place showing (15:50), while Becky Zakorchemny (101st, 17:30) and Laura Zakorchemny (129th, 19:27) also scored on the day. Sophie Sherkanowski was the other Gilford skier to compete, and she nabbed 149th place in 25:16.

One other highlight on the day came in the middle school race, as Gilford's Cal Schrupp won the boys' race by 0.1 seconds in 13:53.3.